Should Hamrick consider adding WI-FI around the Joan

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

I was thinking with all the development Hamrick has completed would it not be a relatively inexpensive add to add WIFI around the stadium? The reasons are simple:

- another way to increase fan experience, if we are wanting to get a younger demographic , the 35 and under can't make it 10 minutes without some sort of post/contact/search and offering free WiFi would

- with all the streaming services now, those fans that tailgate that want to watch a game prior to going into the stadium can stream to an iPad ( iPad Pro is about the size of a small TV now ) or their phone if they're at the CAM. No longer having to drag a huge TV, a dish, a power generator and a receiver.

- you could even carry it over to the CAM and inside the new IAF for families when their kids want to play.

- lets do something first, be innovative at a minimum of expense ( would it be, I'm not a techno nerd) rather than wait and see if it works at NJ State Southern School of Couch Arson.

 

[cstolz26]

"But Schlough contends that the Giants' journey has been comparatively easy. "It's really challenging to do it in a football stadium. A college football stadium? I can't imagine a bigger challenge on earth," he says, citing the sheer size of such facilities and the short seasons they host. "This technology is not plug and play. It's not like turning on a TV. This is something that needs to be tuned and adjusted and monitored and updated every year, and baseball lends itself so well to that, because we have so many games. With football, it's a huge challenge to do that for such a short season and to make that kind of investment. But it's a quandary, because if you don't, then that means your fans at the stadium can't stay connected. And if they can't stay connected, will they come to the games? I would say no. More and more, I say no."

"Installing a Wi-Fi network in any stadium is a very complicated engineering problem - far more complicated than people initially believe it to be, including us and our technology partners," says Kevin Blue, Stanford's associate athletic director of business strategy. (Like the Giants, the Cardinal partners with AT&T.) "Having a limited number of opportunities to refine network performance does make it difficult.""

 

[cstolz26]

From a university and cost perspective, it's probably more cost effective to concentrate on making sure the cell service is good.

 

[Herd Fever]

Almost every modern stadium I have been in the last 4 years offer free wi-fi

 

[cstolz26]

College?

 

[GoHerd35]

Almost every modern stadium I have been in the last 4 years offer free wi-fi

Please list these NCAA ONLY stadiums that you've been to. I would bet most of these are shared by NFL teams or they're sponsored by a company like AT&T or Verizon.

 

[Herdmeister]

I've not been to any college stadium or basketball arena that has Wi-Fi that I'm aware of.

 

[jocktalker]

It's much too expensive to be used at the Joan only 5, 6 or 7 times each year. Doubt it would be practical at the Cam either. I don't know any college facilities that have implemented WI Fi

 

[GreenDuke]

Duke sports venues have had wifi access for quite a while,I can't think of anyplace on campus that doesn't. Duke was, I believe, one of the first schools to install wifi when it was first available.

 

[cocky jeremy]

The bandwidth used would be insaaaaane.

 

[GreenDuke]

It would cover West, East, Central, North campus plus the WaDuke Inn. That's 450 buildings and 2,000 acres, excluding the Duke Forest.

 

[lexkyherdfan]

UKis looking at Wifi at their football stadium AT&T and Verizon have made big improvements in their coverage there. I haven't been but have heard it as read about it. Rupp Arena is going to offer Wifi soon as well.

Improved Cell service would be fine if that could happen. To be honest it is part of the fan experience anymore.

I just like to see ongoing stats on my phone and check scores. I wish we would use the ribbon board for stats and scores continuously as they could have them sponsored by the same advertisers there now. I couldn't tell you what even scrolls On the board because I never look at it.

 

[Stone_Cold]

On the wireless side, AT&T, Verizon, etc would have to not just improve the cell service but basically make sure the network 'pipe' could support so many users at once requesting data over their network. They wouldn't make that type of investment for 5-6 days a year.

On the wifi side the amount of data once again would be extremely high as well for only 5-6 days a year.

But Ericsson is working with folks like AT&T on what is called LTE broadcast that can show streaming highlights or replays of your game, game stats, scores from around the country, etc but it's not free. They have tried it at soccer stadiums where they might charge $5 or $6 per user to obtain it. It doesn't help you with cell service or wifi because it's them basically pushing video and data out to you.

I'd pay an extra $5 or $6 for it.

 

[TwolfHerdfan]

Hell, I can rarely check my phone while in the Joan. Either get no signal or it's very, very slow.

I always thought MU blocked it for some reason but so many are accessing the service that it just bogs down. Or so I've been told.

 

[jocktalker]

Cell phone service in the press box is very slow and the intermittent Internet connection makes it very difficult to file stories.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

But Ericsson is working with folks like AT&T on what is called LTE broadcast that can show streaming highlights or replays of your game, game stats, scores from around the country, etc but it's not free. They have tried it at soccer stadiums where they might charge $5 or $6 per user to obtain it. It doesn't help you with cell service or wifi because it's them basically pushing video and data out to you.

I'd pay an extra $5 or $6 for it.

So I wonder if you might be able to add a subscription fee to say season ticket holders or anyone that wants wi-fi around the stadium game day and make it economically feasible?

If your a reporter in a press box that can't get a coverage article to the editor in time to make it eligible to get published your hurting yourself.

 

[Raoul Duke MU]

College?

UofL, both Papa John's Stadium and the Yum Center have wifi.

 

[IslandHerd1]

WIFI at the Joan would and should be a piece of cake.

1.) The ENTIRE CAMPUS has WIFI available EVERYWHERE.

2.) A provider would absolutely outfit the stadium for optimum performing wifi, granted they could put up some signage.

We wouldn't be the 1st, 7th or 80th school to have this feature, others have this and have HAD this.

Great idea OP.

 

[IslandHerd1]

Please list these NCAA ONLY stadiums that you've been to. I would bet most of these are shared by NFL teams or they're sponsored by a company like AT&T or Verizon.

I can help here:

Houston
UCF
USF
TEMPLE

NC STATE
SYRACUSE
PITT
UVA
MIAMI

BAYLOR
TCU

NORTHWESTERN
PENN STATE
MICH STATE
OHIO STATE
MINNESOTA
NEBRASKA
WISCONSIN
PURDUE

FLORIDA ATLANTIC
UTSA

UMASS
NORTHERN ILLINOIS

AIR FORCE
SAN DIEGO STATE

STANFORD
WASHINGTON
ARIZONA STATE
UCLA

SO CAROLINA
AUBURN
OLE MISS

GEORGIA STATE

ALL of the above have it already, some, a small minority of the schools above are in NFL stadiums.

 

[GoHerd35]

Old list from 2014. I'm looking for something more current.

 

[Rock98Dog]

There's a company in Wurtland that can build mobile cell towers that could be put up on game days on a lease basis.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

My take if we did it now during the off season you could use it to add value to the fans that are tailgating as a way to stream that game you may miss and still come see Marshall play.

It's interesting to me the comments on this thread, from its nearly impossible to the entire campus already has wifi and to add it to the Joan and Cam should be a simple flip of the switch.

If it's easy and you want to broaden fan experience and it's under say 10,000.00 to accomplish then do it, for the guys in the press box alone!!!!

 

[connsinfonia]

1.) The ENTIRE CAMPUS has WIFI available EVERYWHERE.

13K people accessing the WiFi intermittently is a lot different from 30K people accessing the WiFi at the same time. That being said, while it wouldn't exactly be easy or cheap to implement, having WiFi in the stadium would be pretty awesome. Checking out scores of other games, watching replays of the game on the field, pulling up team and player stats, sending pictures of the game to your friend who couldn't get out of work and making fun of them, etc. I'd rather have this than beer sales! Granted, I don't drink much anymore, so I'm biased on that haha.

 

[The Real SamC]

I'm at the Marshall game to watch Marshall. I might look to see some scores on my phone, but other that that I'm at the Marshall game to watch Marshall. Not to post the uninteresting details of my life on this idiotic facebook, nor read the same about others' lives. Not to stream some other game. Not to have a rediculious converstaion with somebody about something. Not to look at videos of cats. Not to do anything be watch Marshall.

Football survived for a long time without facebook access. It will be OK.

 

[Tim Hensley]

I'm there to watch the game. Don't know of any recruits we've lost due to a lack of Wi-Fi.

 

[Herdmeister]

I'm at the Marshall game to watch Marshall. I might look to see some scores on my phone, but other that that I'm at the Marshall game to watch Marshall. Not to post the uninteresting details of my life on this idiotic facebook, nor read the same about others' lives. Not to stream some other game. Not to have a rediculious converstaion with somebody about something. Not to look at videos of cats. Not to do anything be watch Marshall.

Football survived for a long time without facebook access. It will be OK.

Agreed. I catch another score from time to time and also check in to see MU stats. I do the same at the Cam during hoops season.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

I not saying we're losing recruits, I'm saying increase fan experience if it comes at a relatively inexpensive add.

 

[herdit44]

WIFI at the Joan would and should be a piece of cake.

1.) The ENTIRE CAMPUS has WIFI available EVERYWHERE.

2.) A provider would absolutely outfit the stadium for optimum performing wifi, granted they could put up some signage.

We wouldn't be the 1st, 7th or 80th school to have this feature, others have this and have HAD this.

Great idea OP.

so, we'd be 81st?

 

[bbcard1]

A couple years back I tried to talk to the athletic department about integrating technology into the fan experience. I may as well have been showing a caveman a microwave.

 

[TheGreenhouseEffect]

A couple years back I tried to talk to the athletic department about integrating technology into the fan experience. I may as well have been showing a caveman a microwave.

I could see that even 3 years ago, but today it's a given. As for my take on its use, I think it would be great to be able to stream other games to your iPad device while tailgating.

Once inside the stadium, I'm watching the best football team in WV intently.

Oh , and I also support beer sales AND no re-entry.

 

[CarolinaHerdZilla22]

NO to inside Beer sales (not interested in purchasing $8 per beer)...YES to re-entry. WiFi....I can wait until I get to my auto to check scores and catch up on the Election craziness (Hillary & Donald Duck).

HerdZilla22 in Charlotte

 

[Chris McLaughlin]

NO to inside Beer sales (not interested in purchasing $8 per beer)

If the price of beer is your only concern with beer sales then you should 100% vote yes. You don't have to buy anything but you should want your alma mater to make more money - which is what this is all about.

 

[CarolinaHerdZilla22]

Hey Chris Mc..."I get it."

HerdZilla22 in Charlotte

 

[redsfan5590]

We should do everything we possibly can to enhance the fan experience especially when the enhancement would be as "easy and cost effective" as this one. Students would love it, season ticket holders would love it and tailgaters would love it. Seems like a win win to me. I know I hate going to the game and not being able to get a text for 3 1/2 hours.

 

[magnoliaherdfan]

Like others, I'd be happy as a pig in mud just to get an AT&T signal on game day.

 

[Herdmeister]

We should do everything we possibly can to enhance the fan experience especially when the enhancement would be as "easy and cost effective" as this one. Students would love it, season ticket holders would love it and tailgaters would love it. Seems like a win win to me. I know I hate going to the game and not being able to get a text for 3 1/2 hours.

I have no problem with my Sprint signal. Voice or data.

 

[cocky jeremy]

I'm down for WiFi so I can actually upload pictures as I take them.

 

[THUNDERGround]

Like others, I'd be happy as a pig in mud just to get an AT&T signal on game day.

A great deal of that issue might have been because the AT&T tower on top of the Morris building was knocked out in that fire. It's back in commission now. But I don't know, I don't have AT&T.

 

[Gold-n-Blue]

It isn't as cost effective as you think. I think it is right around $1 million, maybe more.

 

[bbneutralfan]

YES to inside beer sales. If you don't want a beer others might. Besides MH needs new source of revenue.